Archery gaining in popularity: Some say increase in sales due to 'Hunger Games' movies

With the recent release of movies like "The Hunger Games," the sale of archery items is on the rise as teens and tweens become interested in the sport.

"Since we opened in November, we've seen a pretty high amount of archery equipment sold," said Daniel Hancock, a senior sales associate at Sports Authority. "We've been selling out of bows and stuff like that. We've just been trying to get more in."

Recurve bows have been a popular item, Hancock added. The retailer mainly carries target practice items to get people started.

Pacific Outfitters in Eureka also saw some gain in the past two months, said Dean Thomas, who runs the archery department, after the second installment of the movie series, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," was released in November.

"It's not incredibly huge, but we've been doing well the last three years leading up to this," Thomas said. "It's just another form of advertising. Cinema has always had a love of archery."

The first movie, "The Hunger Games," opened in March 2012. The films are an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling book trilogy about a strong-willed female archer in a dystopian future.

But it's not just "The Hunger Games" that have made an impact.

Bows and crossbows featured in the Disney movie "Brave," "The Lord of the Rings" series, the television show "The Walking Dead" and the Olympics have also contributed to a boost in sales, Thomas said.

"It's been a perfect storm of cinema, Olympics and books," he said. "Right now there's just so many; people have noticed it a lot more."

But Gabe Spetzler, manager of Humboldt Bay Trade and Pawn, said the series hasn't had an impact on his sales.

"I haven't noticed much of an increase in the archery stuff selling because of that movie, but we definitely do see an increase during hunting season," Spetzler said.

As more people flock to stores to purchase archery equipment, clubs like Humboldt Archers have seen more people sign up.

"We're seeing an increase in family shooting," said Thomas, who is also the president of Humboldt Archers. "The entire family -- mom, dad, kid and neighbor down the street are all shooting."

Thomas, who has practiced archery for 33 years, said the trends indicate more people are becoming interested in archery nationwide.

"I think it's been listed as the fastest growing sport in the U.S.," he said.